Witnesses at Dawson City man's murder trial describe what happened the night man was killed
CBC
The first week of a Dawson City, Yukon, man's second-degree murder trial heard from multiple witnesses to the events that took place the night Kevin Edward McGowan was killed.
Kane Morgan was charged in connection with the death of McGowan, 41, who died during the early hours of April 30, 2018, in Dawson.
Morgan has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Yukon Supreme Court chief justice Suzanne Duncan said at the outset of the trial in Dawson that Morgan has admitted to causing McGowan's death by blunt-force trauma, and that the Crown must prove intent to kill.
McGowan, who was from B.C., had only been in Dawson City for a matter of weeks when he died, according to people who knew him. He had moved to town to work as a chef that summer. Days after McGowan's death, police ruled it a homicide.
Crown prosecutors Leo Lane and Peterson Ndlovu called a total of 10 witnesses to the stand this week to testify before the jury.
One witness, Shane Frost, said he was with Morgan and McGowan before going to a house party that night. He said the three were having beers by the river.
Frost said he and Morgan took magic mushrooms before going to the party. Frost told the court that the mushrooms started to kick in at the party and Morgan began to act "snakey." Frost described Morgan waving his arms and rolling around on the floor.
Two more witnesses, Colton Blackjack and Chris Blanchard, testified that they also saw Morgan at the party that night, acting erratically.
Frost said Morgan continued to "freak out" at the party causing some people to leave, including McGowan. Frost said Morgan also left the party shortly after McGowan.
Four others took the stand this week to recount what they heard around the time McGowan was killed.
One of those witnesses, Jacob Ramer, told the court he heard arguing in the area where McGowan's body was later found.
Ramer testified that he was working at the Dawson City men's shelter that night. He said around 12:30 a.m., he heard yelling in the street, but didn't think much of it at the time. He said when he looked out the window he could only make out one person.
Ramer said around 1:15 a.m., he left work and drove toward the intersection of King Street and Second Avenue where he heard the yelling earlier.
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